Category Archives: Popular

Mint Black Bottom Cupcake Recipe

 
This recipe has been a long time in coming. 
 
The humble Black Bottom cupcake is an intriguing little gem as it could almost be considered a muffin.
 
Almost.
 
While it can be eaten on it’s own without icing, it is really too sweet to come into the muffin class.
The baked cheesecake topping sets this cupcake apart and opens the door wide for all sorts of variations. Whichever way you you choose to bake or eat it, this cupcake is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
 
 
  
 
Chocolate mint black bottom cucpakes
Yields 18
A decadent chocolate cupcake with an amazing mint cheesecake filling hidden inside.
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Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  2. 1 cup vegetable oil
  3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  4. 1 cup ( or one 250g tub) sour cream
  5. 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved into 2 tbls hot water (add to the cup of warm water)
  6. 1 cup warm water
  7. 2 cups plain flour, sifted
  8. 1 3/4 castor sugar
  9. 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
  10. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  11. 1 cup pure cocoa ( I use Homebrand 100% pure cocoa from Woolworths)
  12. Cheesecake topping
  13. 200g cream cheese
  14. 80g castor sugar
  15. 1 large egg
  16. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  17. a pinch of salt
  18. A few drops of peppermint essence
  19. Small amount of green food colouring ( I used Americolor Electric green)
  20. 100g dark choc chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 C
  2. Line two muffin trays with cupcake papers
  3. Cupcakes
  4. Using a hand whisk, combine eggs, oil and vanilla. Add sour cream, diluted coffee and water
  5. Combine sifted flour, sugar, baking soda and powder and cocoa. Whisk together to combine.
  6. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  7. Scoop into prepared liners, until each is 2/3 full.
  8. Take a tablespoon of cheesecake mixture and drop onto the top of each cupcake. Leave it as it is or swirl slightly with a skewer but make sure you don't combine it too much.
  9. Bake in moderate oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the cheesecake topping to make sure it doesn't go brown.
  10. Place on a wire rack to cool. Frost if desired or dust with icing sugar.
  11. Cheesecake topping
  12. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium slow speed until smooth and light. Add the essence and food colouring.
  13. Mix carefully until just combined.
  14. Carefully stir in the choc chips by hand until just combined. Don't over mix otherwise the cream cheese will start to split.
  15. Set aside
Mama Bear's Kitchen http://mamabearskitchen.com.au/
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chunky Monkey Cupcake Recipe

This cupcake recipe brings together my love of chocolate and peanut butter with one of the staple foods in our home, bananas.

We live in a sub tropical climate and have  an over abundance of bananas. Some days the harvest is so bountiful that we are all kept quite busy drying them, freezing them, making banana smoothies, baking banana bread and most recently, creating the most amazing banana and raspberry icy poles.

 I read once that Elvis Presley was an enormous fan of the combination of banana and peanut butter. I have come across a few cupcake recipes that pay homage to the king of rock and decided to make up my own delicious version of these flavoursome Chunky Monkey cupcakes. They have quickly become a favourite and I hope you enjoy them. x

 

Chunky Monkey cupcake
Yields 18
An unbelievably delicious chocolate cupcake with banana, walnuts and peanut butter with the best ever peanut butter frosting.
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Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  2. 1 cup vegetable oil
  3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  4. 1 tablespoon coffee diluted in 1 tablespoon boiling water and added to 1 cup water
  5. 1 cup (or 250g tub) sour cream
  6. 3 medium/ large overripe bananas mashed well and set aside
  7. 2 cups plain flour
  8. 1 cup castor sugar
  9. 3/4 cup brown sugar
  10. 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
  11. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  12. 1 cup pure cocoa
  13. 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecan nuts
  14. natural crunchy peanut butter - extra
  15. 100g dark chocolate extra
Instructions
  1. Pre heat oven to 180 Celsius
  2. Line two muffin trays with cupcake papers
  3. In a medium bowl, hand whisk eggs, oil and vanilla.
  4. Add sour cream and whisk to combine
  5. Put dissolved coffee into 1 cup water. Add to mix.
  6. Add mashed banana and mix well with whisk.
  7. Sift flour, bi carb, baking powder , cocoa and sugars into large bowl.
  8. Add chopped walnuts
  9. Carefully pour the wet mix into dry mixture and whisk well until combined.
  10. Place spoonfuls of mixture into cupcake papers, until each is 2/3 full.
  11. Put 1 teaspoon of peanut butter onto each cupcake and swirl gently into the mixture, making sure you can still see the peanut butter.
  12. Bake in moderate oven for 18 minutes or until firm to touch.
  13. Cool on a wire rack.
  14. Pipe peanut butter frosting onto cupcake.
Peanut butter frosting
  1. 125g butter at room temp
  2. 125g cream cheese
  3. 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  5. Approx 4 cups icing mixture
  6. Pure cream
  7. 50g grated chocolate
  8. In an electric mixer on medium speed, using a paddle attachment, mix butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat another minute.
  9. Add vanilla and peanut butter. Beat well to combine.
  10. Turn mixer down to low and carefully add icing mixture.
  11. Add dashes of cream alternately with the icing mixture until it reaches the desired consistency.
  12. Fold in finely grated chocolate.
  13. Pipe onto cupcakes using a large hole tip.
Mama Bear's Kitchen http://mamabearskitchen.com.au/

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Bounty cupcakes

 

I think Chocolate and coconut might be my new favourite combination. I played around with this recipe, testing it on a few  unsuspecting willing friends. The results were more than I could have hoped for. One friend loved them so much that he thought they were an 11/10 and the cupcake was outstanding in it’s own right even without the frosting. Be warned though, they are very rich and decadent. These are for the true die hard chocolate lovers who would NEVER consider leaving a  scrap of ganache or cupcake  crumb behind on the the plate!!!

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Yellow vintage baby shower

 
 
 
I had the immense pleasure of planning and hosting a baby shower for a friend of mine who is expecting her third baby. She loves bright colours, particularly yellow and orange. I decided to go with a yellow vintage theme…not too soft and pale, not too bright and cheesy….a beautiful mix of yellow ginghams, checks, brown spots and a few little duckies. 
 

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Loving lilac

 
One of our dearest little Lambs turned 6 last week. Such a sweet little thing. 
A real cutie patootie!
Each year in October our two Jacaranda trees blossom. 
They are a sight to behold.
This year I decided to start a new family tradition and have at least one tea party under the beauty of these remarkable trees every Spring.
 

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